Card game



July 10, 19 28.

- 1,677,010 L. ZIMMERMANN CARD GAME Filed March 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l I mm (I. Mot Huts July 10, 1928. 1,677,010

. L. ZIMMERMANN I CARD GAME Filed March 1, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FALL SUIT 'Same as winter suit except month cards are designated September, October and November SPRING SUIT Same as winter suit except month cards are designated March, April and May SUMMER SUIT Same as winter suit except month cards are designated June, July and August, and full moon picture is duplicated on June full moon card. 2/

Q/WMM 'Patented July 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnes.

CARD- GAME.

Application filed March 1,

ell

The invention relates to a card game, in playing which, the players bid and the person making the highest bid decides on a suit whose cards become trumps, the object of the bidder (and his partner, if a partnership game) being to take-at least as many tricks as the number bid, while the adversaries strive to prevent such success.

One object of the invention is to provide a. very interesting game in which a penalizing or death card is provided, preferably having no trick takingvalne, but eti'ective it its player be out of suit, to negative or kill the effect of any card played concurrently, that is the leading card or any card played upon said leading card.

Another object is to provide a game in which, the penalizing card is repre'entative of something to be profitably avoided in life, for instance, undesirable traits or habits, mentality-weakening and body-weakening drugs, drinks, etc. In the game, if this card play an injurous part, the players may reach the deduction that injury will result also in lile it that represented by the lard be pern'iitted to interfere.

A further aim to provide a game in which a. card is provided to increase the score o? the holder after playing any hand and in which there is a possibility of killing the eti'ect oisuch card by playing of thepenalizing or death card. p

A still further object is to provide a game in which moon symbols (letters, words, piclures, etc.) are utilized to denote the relative values of the suit cards, and in which the pei'ializing or death card representsVmoonshine (whiskey or the like). Hence, by analogy, the plwers may be impressed with the killing possibilities of moonshine? both with regard to life and to ellorts toward achievement of success.

Yet another aim is the provision of a game whose nits represent the four seasons of the year, with each suit made up of a group of month cards for each month of the season represented. Thus, as the penalizing moonshine or death card hasthe same powers with all month cards of all seasons, the pl ers are imprescd with the dangers oi moonshine in any month or season oi'the year. Then too, the month and year cards are comparable with a span ot human life, and the playing of the card game is sug- 1928. Serial No. 258,319.

shine and the like be not permitted to 'ham- )er. a I

I \Vith the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig.1 is an elevation ot the suit or cards corresponding to the winter season.

F igs. 2, 3 and 4; are explanatory statements which when considered with the winter suit of Fig. 1, give an understanding of the tall, spring and summer-suits.

Fig. 5 isan elevation of the June, full moon card, which doubles or if desired may otherwise increase the score of the holder alter playing any hand.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the moonlight card which is the high trump.

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the moonshine card which is the death or penalizing card.

The game in the form disclosed, embodies four suits of cards, representing the four seasons of the year. Only the Winter suit is completely shown. All important features of the spring and tallsuits are substantially identical with the winter suit exoept that the cards bear the names of the seasons and the months which they represent. Most important features of the summer suit are substantially the same as the winter suit with the exception of the season and month names. However, the June full moon card of this summer suit (Fig. 5) is distinct from the other full moon cards, as it doubles (hereinafter described). From a standpoint of design or ornamentation, the cards of course vary as desired. For instance, the cards of the various seasons may be provided with difiiercnt pictorial ornamentations in the form of scenes appropriate to the seasons which they represent. The win ter suit will be. described and with the above explanatory matter and that of Figs. 2, 3 and 1 of the drawings, the others will be understood.

There are twelve cards 8 in the winter suit, all denoted lvinter, as at 9. Four of these cardsare identified, at 10, by the etc. arranged as shown and duplicatedon diametrically opposed portions of said cards. The central portions of these cards are preferably pictorially decorated in keeping with the months or seasons represented, and the backs of the cards may be suitably decorated and preferably bear the word Moon 'as an appropriate name for the game.

The June full moon card 9 shown in F1 2 5 1s a score-lncreasm card and doubles the score of the holder when the playing of any hand is completed, the pictorial moon symbols 15" being preferably duplicated to indicate that it doubles.

In addition to the suit cards above de scribed, the game embodies a moonlight card 17, shown in Fig. 6 and constituting a high trump whose efi'ect however'may be negatived by the moonshine death or penalizing card, as will hereinafter be made clear. This card bears proper wording at 18 and may display a pictorial representation of a moonlight scene.

The penalizing, death or moonshine card is shown at 19 in Fig. 7. At 20, it bears the word Moonshine and at 21 a skull and crossed bones, symbolizing the dangers of moonshine (illicit whiskey. etc.). This card is preferably provided with a pictorial illustration of a. moonshiner at work.

The moonshine card 19, when its holder is out of the suit which has been led, may be played to negative or kill the effect of any card played concurrently. (In us ing the words Card played concurrently, I refer to the leading card or any card which the other players play upon said leading card.) The effect of the moonshine card is the same, not only with the suit cards, in-

cluding the scoreincreasing June full moon card 9, but with the high trump moonlight card 17. While this moonshine card 19 may negative the effect of any cards played concurrently, it preferably has no trick-taking value of its own. Hence, the cards with which the moonshine card is played upon the table, are dead and no player receives them as a trick.

month of is an explanation of the rank of cards, the rules for playlng, deahng, bidding, scorlng, etc.

Followin Rules for playing.

All cards are used in a four-hand game.

as above.

1Moonshine (death card)- see paragraph Moonshine.

DeaZ.-Nine cards to each player, with three blinds for each, with two extra blinds to the center for highest bidder--de al to proceed three at a time, two center blinds to be dealt before other blinds of three to each player are dealt, blinds to be dealt last. Deal passes to left.

Pwpose.The purpose is to take the number of tricks or moons bid. Each trick or moon taken by the adversary or bidder scores as hereafter indicated.

Bz'(Z6Zz"1'I,( .Beginning at dealers left, each player bids in moons (tricks) until no one will bid any higher, highest bidder declaring trump after all others have passed.

Moon tricks score according to seasonsboth for bidder and opponentviz.,

Each winter trick scores 9 Each fall trick scores 10 Each spring trick scores 11 Each. summer trlck scores 12 Honor score for successful. l)l(lCl 01S 20 June full moon trick Donbles total score.

There are nine tricks; but eight tricks only are scoring tricks, one being killed by moonshine.

The bidding opens with five winter moons (tricks) as the lowest bid, following by five fall moons, five spring moons, and five summer moons; (meaning. of course, that five tricks must be taken to make the bid) then there is the bid of six moons for each season, seven moons for each season, and eight moons for each season-eight summer moons being the highest bid and eight tricks must be taken to make the bid.

For a two-hand game,

Ewample: A bids five winter moons; B bids five summermoons; C, As partner, has a helping-winter hand and bids six winter moons; while D, Bs partner, has no helping hand in summer, but has a very good spring hand, and bids six spring-moons. On second round, all others pass, leaving D the highest bidder. D is successful in making his bid and scores six spring,or sixty-six for tricks, plus twenty for honors; total 86. Adversaries take two tricks, one the June full moon trick, scoring twenty-two for tricks, dou bling because of Junefull-moon trick, and making a total scoreof forty-four. Had the bidders taken the June full moon trick, they would have doubled, scoring 172, rather than 86. See paragraph Scoring.

If all players pass, cards are redealt by original dealer.

Moon blinds. After bidding has been completed, all players take their blinds, bidder receiving in addition two center blinds. Proper number of cards are then discarded (leaving nine in hand), discarding a full season if possible so that suit can be trumped when played.

Moonshine and moonlight cannot be discarded.

Leading aoul playing.Successful bidder leads, followed by player at left, etc. Players must follow suit; viz, if December full moon is led, players must follow suit, with December first or last quarter or new moon if they hold these; if not, they must follow with a moon of some other winter montl1-J anuary or February; if out of these, they may trump; throw off; or try moonshine which kills that trick. Such a dead trick counts for no one, but may easily keep the bidder from making his bid.

June full moon trick doubles the total score of the player of partners capturing it; butthis card can not be thrown in when out of suit for the purpose of having it double the score. In order to have it double the score, it must be played in the regular way as a suit card or trump. Here is where moonshine can ClOtlOLlblG duty by killing the June full moon trick; however, one must be out of the suit led in order to be able to use moonshine; inthis case, one must be out of summer suit in order to use moonshine on the June full moon trick.

Seasons.

r Scoring pel'trick. WmterDecember, January, February (lowest).

Fall-September, October, November (next higher). SpringMarch, April,

May (second high). Summer wlune, July, Au-

gust (highest).

Full moon of the first month of the season is highest, followed by second month of season, etc. If January full moon should be led and the adversary should be out of January cards but holds December full moon, he could play his December full moon and the trick would be his unless it were trumped. The same is true of the quarter and new moons.

M00nZight.-Moonlight is highest trump in any suit in which the bid is made; but the holder must, of course, be out of the suit led, if other than trump, in order totrump the trick.

M oomhz'ne.-Death card. The party holding moonshine may kill any trick of his adversary, provided he is out of the suit led; and he may be required to kill his own trick or that of his partner. If possible, it is well to kill the June full moon trick if it is expected to be taken by his adversary.

The party holding moonshine may lead it and call for a particular suit to be played upon that trick, thus bringing out certain undesirable cards and making his next lead certain so far as rank is concerned. The party playing moonshine, leads for the next trick.

Sc0ri'ng.After all cards have been played, tricks are counted and multiplied by the value of each trick, depending upon what trump has been named. If the bid is made, an honor of 20 points is given the success ful bidder. Party taking June full moon, trick doubles his total score. Adversaries score same points per trick as bidders, depending upon season made trump. See example under Bidding.

Set-back or pe-naltg rdf bidder does not take the number of tricks bid, he is set back the amount of his bid; that is, if the bid were 7 spring moons, he'would be set back 77, meaning that 77 points would'be deducted from his previous score.

Bidder is not set back the honor score, of course, this being added simply if the bid is made. June full moon trick means nothing to the bidder if he does not make his bid.

Gama-The game constitutes 365 points,

and the player or players first obtaining that i score win the game.

Partners.-As a four-hand game, this is a partnership gametwo against two. Progressioe.When a deal has been made by each player, winning partners progress. It will be seen from the foregoing that a very interesting game has been provided and one which will. have a tendency to warn against moonshine. As the general characteristics shown and described are preferable, they may well be followed. However, within the scope of the invention as claimed, variations, may be made. I claim a 1. In a card game played by trick-taking and embodying suits of cards and a high trump card, a penalizing card operable if its player be out of suitto negative the trick taking effectof any card played concurrently, including said high trump card.

2. In a card game played by trick-taking and embodying suits of cards; a penalizing card operable if its player be out of suit to negative the trick-taking eifect of any card played concurrently, said penalizing card having no trick-taking value. r

3. In a card game played by bidding and trick-taking, and embodying suits of cards and a card to increase the holders' score after playing any band; a penalizing card operable if its player be out of suit, to negative the effect of any card played concurrently, including said scoreincreasing card.

4. In a card game played by bidding and trick-taking, and embodying suits of cards and a card to increase the holders score after playing any band; a penalizing card operable if its player be out of suit, to negative the effect of any card played concurrently, said penalizing card having no trick taking value.

- 5. In a card game played by trick-taking and embodying suits of cards; a penalizing card representing something to be preferably avoided, said card being operative if its player be out of suit, to kill the trick-taking 7 effect of any of said cards played concurtrick-taking effect of any card played con currently. g I

8. In a card game played by trick-taking and embodying suits of cards having moon symbols to denote relative values; a penalizing card representing moonshine and ef- 'fective if its player be out of suit to kill the trick-taking effect of any card played concurrently, said penalizing card having no trick-taking value.

9. In a card game played by bidding and trick-taking and embodying suit cards and a score-increasing card having moon symbols to denote their relative values; a penalizing card representing moonshine and effective if its player be out of suit, to kill the effect of any of said cards played concurrently.

10. In a card game played by bidding and trick-taking and embodying suits of cards, a score-increasing card and a high trump card having moon symbols to denote their relative values; a penalizing card representing moonshine and effective if its player be out of suit, to kill the effect of any of said cards played concurrently, said penalizing card having no trick-taking value.

11. In a card game played by trick-taking, four suits representing the four seasons of the year, each suit consisting of a group of month cards for each of the three months represented by said suit; the month cards of each group having moon symbols, said, symbols of any group determining the rank of the. cards of said group with respect to each other and with respect to the remaining cards of the suit of which said group forms a part, and a penalizing card representing moonshine and operative if its player be out of suit, to kill the effect of any card playedconcurrently. v

12. In a card game played by trick-taking, tour suits representing the four seasons of the year, each suit consisting of a groupof month cards for each of the three months represented by said suit; the month cards of each group having moon symbols, said symbols of any group determining the rank of the cards of said group with respect to each other and with respect to the remaining cards of the suit of which said group forms a part, a high trump card common to all suits, one 'ofisaid suit cards serving to increase the score of the holder after playing any band; and a penahzmgcard representing moonshlne and operable if its player be out of suit, to kill the effect of any card played concurrently. I 13. In a card game played by trick-taking, four suits representing the four seasons of the year, each suit consisting of a group of month cards for each of the three months represented by said suit; the month cards of each group having moon symbols, said symbols of any group determining the rank of the cards of said group with respect to each other and with respect to the. remaining cards of the suit of which sa'id group vforms a part. l

14. A card game comprising a plurality of suits, embodying a score-increasing card in one suit to increase the score of the holder after playing any hand, a high trump card common to all suits, and a penalizing card which. itself has no trick-taking value, said penalizing card being operative, if its player be out of suit, to negative the effect of any of said cards played concurrently.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

LILLIE. ZIMMERMANN. 

